People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross- legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense.

Shunryu Suzuki

Wabi means spare, impoverished; simple and functional. It connotes a transcendence of fad and fashion. The spirit of wabi imbues all the Zen arts, from calligraphy to karate, from the tea ceremony to Zen archery.

Shunryu Suzuki

fashion mean art

A garden is never finished.

Shunryu Suzuki

finished garden

To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point; we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.

Shunryu Suzuki

buddhism bed feelings

Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.

Shunryu Suzuki

mma use perfect

In the zazen posture, your mind and body have, great power to accept things as they are, whether agreeable or disagreeable.

Shunryu Suzuki

accepting body mind

When something dies is the greatest teaching.

Shunryu Suzuki

dies teaching

There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment.

Shunryu Suzuki

moments teaching should

There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity.

Shunryu Suzuki

activity enlightened people

We do not exist for the sake of something else. We exist for the sake of ourselves.

Shunryu Suzuki

sake

The teaching which is written on paper is not the true teaching. Written teaching is a kind of food for your brain. Of course it is necessary to take some food for your brain, but it is more important to be yourself by practicing the right way of life.

Shunryu Suzuki

being-yourself learning teaching

So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, "I know what Zen is," or "I have attained enlightenment." This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Be very very careful about this point. If you start to practice zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner's mind. It is the secret of Zen practice.

Shunryu Suzuki

real practice art

We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.

Shunryu Suzuki

magic this-world world

The world is its own magic.

Shunryu Suzuki

magic world

If you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall.

Shunryu Suzuki

wall pride practice

You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?

Shunryu Suzuki

evil desire order

People who know the state of emptiness will always be able to dissolve their problems by constancy.

Shunryu Suzuki

emptiness able people

Even if the sun were to rise from the west, the Bodhisattva has only one way.

Shunryu Suzuki

west sun way

Religion is not any particular teaching. Religion is everywhere.

Shunryu Suzuki

teaching-religion teaching religion

The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in Chinese scriptures. This is the subject of the question the emperor asked Bodhidharma: "What is the First Principle?" Bodhidharma said, "I don't know." "I don't know" is the First Principle.

Shunryu Suzuki

scripture chinese principles

The secret of zen is just two words: not... always... so.

Shunryu Suzuki

secret two